


Love tolls to build a home

by toddykun



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 2018), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Dorks in Love, Found Family, Gen, Home, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 00:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20536988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toddykun/pseuds/toddykun
Summary: It was their home, they build it little by little, for the little girl they love.





	Love tolls to build a home

**Author's Note:**

> [at this point im posting this for someone in specific but i will just pretend im doing it in my own accord lmao]
> 
> i hope u like it!!!

“The path it’s closed, sir, at least that you pay the toll.”

Launchpad yelped, firstly taken aback by Drake appearing out of nowhere in front of him in the hallway and blocking his path. But when he saw Drake smiling at him, his arms at every wall at his sides, balancing his weight from his heels to his toes and back again like he’s just waiting for the right signal to just jump at him, Launchpad couldn’t help but chuckle at the silliness of it all. He balanced the big box he had and looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes that he only got with Drake.

“Babe, I have to put this in the bedroom,” Launchpad tried to coax him, not because he didn’t want to kiss him, but because the box in his arms was big enough to make it especially difficult.

Drake was undeterred and only smiled bigger. “My apologies, sir, you can’t pass until you pay the toll. Those are the rules.”

Launchpad thought for a moment, he was big enough, and he could simply pass around him if he proposed to do it. His mistake was looking back at his boyfriend’s face. Drake looked back at him, his eyelashes fluttering just a bit and his smile was handsome and overall him looking kinda silly and joyful made Launchpad fell for it all. Drake was just being happy, and that was enough for him.

Through pure love and sheer determination, he found the way to balance the box without having to put it down and bent, and the simple insinuation of it made Drake finally stood completely on his toes, his hands cradling his face and guiding him until they finally kissed.

It was a simple kiss but just as full of affection as any other they had given each other.

They separated with silly twin smiles on their faces but the feeling as if he hadn’t kiss Drake for decades overpowered him and soon enough he was bending yet again, risking the balance of the box but receiving a happily surprised noise from Drake as compensation. He kissed him again, and again and again and again, and over and over until Drake just grabbed him and made him stay there for a long last kiss that left them both dizzy and a little desperate for something more.

“I hope, umm,” it was hard to get his brain to work properly after all that, “that was enough to pay the toll?”

“Um?” Drake blinked, seemingly still dazed by the blur of kisses, it’s Launchpad’s laugh what seemed to finally get him out of it, and he let go of his boyfriend. “Oh! Oh, yes, I—”

He seemed completely embarrassed. “That was kinda dumb, wasn’t it?”

Launchpad shook his head, eagerly, “No, not at all! It’s surprising though.”

“What? That I wanted to kiss you?”

“Nah, more like you not kissing me out of nowhere just because you want to.”

Drake gasped, sounding offended but looking like he was about to burst out laughing. “Launchpad, are you saying I only kiss you impulsively like an animal? That I can’t be romantic about it?”

Launchpad suddenly remembered something and derailed the point, confused. “Well, Dr. Gearloose says we’re all technically animals—”

Drake gasped again, his eyes wide and then snorting. “Oh, I see, so _I am_ an animal. You know what? No more kisses for you, mister.”

“What? No, wait, babe!”

He immediately dropped the box, all the effort to not do exactly that going to hell just by seeing Drake walk away with his arms crossed. He snatched him up by the waist, Drake shrieking and laughing as he picked him up, pecking every little available space on his face. Drake was trying to push his face away from him, trying to look mad but failing miserably as he laughed, “Stop kissing me. You said I wasn’t romantic and that I was an animal kissing you like some egotistical maniac so let me go!”

“_Draaaaaakeeee_, don’t be petty. I didn’t say that!”

“Too bad because that’s what I hear.”

“Because you said it.”

“Watch out, Mr. McQuack. You’re losing your boyfriend points.”

Launchpad groaned, smiling against the hand Drake used to keep him at bay. Drake could be either exasperating or cute with his pettiness, but it seemed he could be both too.

“But how could I say that to the most romantic, gorgeous, amazing boyfriend in the world that is definitely not an egotistical maniac?”

“So I’m romantic, gorgeous and amazing now?”

“You have always been.”

That definitely rang a bell, if Drake’s growing and pleased smile was anything to get by. He kissed him then, a little peck to test the waters, and when Drake didn’t reject it, he asked him: “Am I forgiven?”

“Yes— barely,” Drake answered with a silly smile.

Launchpad smiled at that, and a question popped out suddenly. “Why so silly?”

Drake hummed, his hands playing nervously with his hair, a shy smile grazing his face.

“I dunno? I’m just happy, I guess? We're— we’re moving in together to a house, of all things, and as I was setting up the kitchen, it suddenly hit me that I love you and I wanted to kiss you? Like a whole lot.”

Launchpad felt his heart about to burst out with that simple, shy confession. And it did, in the form of crushing Drake between his arms in a bear hug.

“Drake! I love you so much!”

Drake groaned, “oh my God, then don’t kill me!”

Launchpad laughed, letting him go and giving him a peck. “You know what I wanna do to my amazing, gorgeous and romantic boyfriend?”

Drake snorted, “what might that be?”

“Smooch his face.”

Drake snorted even harder, trying not to let his ugly laugh overtake him. “Oh, what a lucky guy, then.”

Launchpad took that as a yes, closing his eyes and puckering his lips, leaning to kiss him only to be met with air and a giggle, the space in front of him suddenly empty when he opened his eyes. He turned around, confused, only to see Drake smiling cheekily at him.

“_Buuuut_ this guy has to finish setting up the kitchen and you have to set up the bedroom and we can’t be distracted because this has to look perfect by tomorrow.”

“What? Babe—.”

“Good luck setting up the bedroom, honey.”

“Drake, really—.”

“I love you!”

_Now, what was he supposed to say after that?_ He thought, seeing Drake going away with an enamored smile.

They might be just moving in together at the moment, but as he watched Drake going downstairs, humming the Darkwing Duck intro song with a satisfied smile, he couldn’t help but think they were building something that was so much more.

Drake’s silliness from that morning might be contagious because when they were in the kitchen and he saw Drake doing the dishes from their dinner, he felt the unavoidable impulse to hug Drake from behind and ask: “dance with me.”

Drake turned his head around, surprised. “Dance with you? Wait, right now?”

Launchpad nodded eagerly and Drake snorted skeptical, going back to his task. “Sure, when I finish this.”

“Nope, right now.”

“Launchpad, please, I’m doing— wait, what are you—? _LAUNCHPAD, LET ME GO.”_ Launchpad had jailed him with his arms, not letting him do anything. Drake squirmed, trying frustratingly to push Launchpad away but only getting more into his constricting hug as a result. Drake stopped, mad, looking at him with a frown. “Launchpad, let me go.”

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Mallard, but I can’t do that. You have been jailed for dance crimes.”

“Dance crim—” Drake couldn’t even finish saying it, a snort immediately getting out of him, finally smiling. “Is this payback for this morning?”

“Maaaaybe.”

Drake huffed at that and started to move again, trying to get him off of him.

“Dance with me, please, my love,” Launchpad asked again, much softer than the first time, nuzzling his head and rocking him slowly in his arms. Drake hummed at that, weak as he was to Launchpad’s traitorous _“my love”,_ and stopped resisting, going pliant against him.

“Ok,” he accepted and turned around to pass his arms around his neck, his hands were still wet and soapy from the dishes but Launchpad couldn’t care less. “Fine, LP. You win. What song are we gonna dance?”

“Uuuuuh.”

“You didn’t think about it, did you?”

“Nope,” he admitted, making Drake roll his eyes with an affectionate smile. He let go of Drake to look for his phone while Drake dried his hands. “But!”

“But?” Drake asked, reclined on the counter now, watching Launchpad use his phone intently.

“I do have the perfect song.” His eyes twinkled suddenly and with a mischievous smile, he looked back at him, extending one of his hands to him in a gentlemanly manner, while the other held his phone.

“May I have this dance, Mr. Mallard?”

Drake tried to muffle his giggle behind his hand, charmed to the bone by this gentle giant that he loved to pieces. “I would love to, Mr. McQuack.”

He took his hand, letting Launchpad pull him against his chest, heart fluttering as he put Drake’s arms around his waist. Launchpad left the phone at the counter, his own arms coming to Drake’s waist. Drake’s curiosity grew as he saw the phone loading something.

“What song did you—?”

And then the first notes of it started to play and Drake didn’t think he couldn’t be more in love than he already was but _boy was he wrong,_ his head falling into Launchpad’s chest and smiling without a care in the world as his boyfriend started to lead him in their improvised dance.

It was a slowed, piano version of the Darkwing Duck ending theme, beautifully arranged but it had a homemade recording sound to it and if Drake guessed correctly, there was only one person in his near vicinity capable of that.

“Did you do it?”

Launchpad kissed the top of his head, he sounded strangely both nervous and proud when he answered: “yeah, I— I kinda learned to play the piano just to do it.”

Drake looked up at him, eyes brightening with admiration. “Yeah?”

Launchpad seemed to blush under it, Drake could tell he was hesitantly unraveling in the untold praise, he wanted to impress him and Drake be dammed if he wasn’t going to let him. “Uh, yeah, and the sax, and the guitar, and umm, a lot of other instruments.”

“Launchpad,” he whispered with admiration, moving his hands to hold his face between them, “ you’re so amazing. That’s the greatest thing I have ever heard. How come you never put it out there?”

“Well, it was only for Darkwing—.”

“Extremely valid reason, it’s amazing.”

Launchpad laughed, sounding very excited all of a sudden, “I know, but I discovered pretty earlier in my childhood that not everyone would see it as you do and I wanted—” and his arms tightened around him— “to show it to someone I loved and that loved me in return, I guess. I wanted it to be only for someone that would appreciate it as much as I do and I— I’m glad that’s you.”

If Drake’s heart went faster, it was going to jump out of his chest, of that he was sure. He hugged Launchpad as tight as he could, and kissed him immediately, not knowing how else to show him how much that meant to him. Inside his mind, he thanked whatever pushed Launchpad to stop him mid-task to dance, maybe he never would have had this moment if it wasn’t for that.

“I love you,” he whispered against his beak, feeling Launchpad’s smile growing.

He didn’t answer immediately, but he did take one of Drake’s hand and made him twirl around a few times with the song, making Drake giggle in the process, and when the twirling ended and he had Drake with his back at his chest, tucked almost perfectly in his arms, he said: “and _I_ love you.”

Drake sighed, feeling drunk in love, slowly moving at the song’s rhythm, Launchpad nuzzling his temple and whispering promises of love.

Right there in Launchpad’s arms, he wondered silently if they could stay like that forever, just dancing slowly for years to come without an ounce of fear of the song ending at some point. He wondered if the future held them both, or if it saw him alone yet again, talking to empty spaces and with no sleep as his only company. When was the last time he thought he had someone to come back to, to rest with, to greet at the door?

_When was the last time he thought he had a home?_

He had never had a home before, was the ugly answer.

It scared him somehow, that if the song ended, Launchpad may stop holding him. That this space may not hold the love he wanted to store in it and let it escape somewhere he couldn’t follow.

But as the song ended and Launchpad’s arms stayed where they were, even tightening, Launchpad hiding his face in the crook of Drake’s neck and leaving kisses in his feathers, Drake realized that whatever was to come would be better than this, with Launchpad at his side and a home to come to.

“Can I do the dishes now?” He asked with literally no intention of abandoning the warm of Launchpad’s arms.

Thank God Launchpad knew him and only laughed while hugging him tighter.

It became some sort of established rule, the tolls, and the kisses and the unprompted slow dancing. Launchpad used his size to his advantage most of the time, filling whole door frames and asking for hugs and kisses and a date that one time. Drake became pettier the more hungry for affection he was, more than one time refusing to help Launchpad as he repaired the Thunderquack or to pass him an ingredient he needed while he cooked if he didn’t “pay for it”.

_“It will cost you, but I can’t be easily bribed, mister.”_

_“But I don’t have any money, sir.”_

_“Well, we can always arrange that, Mr. McQuack.”_

And he would tip his beak with a mischievous smile and Launchpad immediately would give in like the weak man he was.

They weren’t going to lie, they burned more food than they should have thanks to that. Or got late to somewhere really important, or simply forgot whatever they were doing at the moment.

_Worth it,_ they always thought, still making out in the middle of the hallway for the third time of the day.

The walls and the doors and the floor kept growing with them, some warm building on the frame of the doors, some strange comfort under the lights of the living room. There was not a space where the passing thought of home didn’t cling at their hearts.

To theirs, and another that would become _theirs._

“My orders are to not let you pass, Gosaroonie!”

“Pops!” came the whine, she tried to dodge him but Launchpad’s whole body was impossible to go through and escape to her room. Her room. The room these two people had given to her because now she was their daughter. And as amazing as that was, _they were both so…_

“Gosalyn Mallard-McQuack, you are prohibited to pass from this point until you pay the toll. And it’s higher now, don’t you know how is the economy these days?”

_Embarrassingly full of love._

She turned around, looking at her dad with a frown, pouting angrily as he had betrayed her. Drake snorted at her expression, but he didn’t move, crossing his arms undeterred. Launchpad laughed cheekily at that, still blocking the way with his body.

Gosalyn analyzed the situation, she was stubborn and too full of energy to be subdued. If passing through Pops was virtually impossible, then she only had other option.

She narrowed her eyes, looking directly into her dad’s eyes. Her dad looked back just with the same spirited energy, uncrossing his arms and preparing himself like in a fight, and then Gos charged with a scream, decided to fight back.

Only to be caught in the air by two big hands, letting out an embarrassed high-pitched squeak.

“I caught her, dad!”

“Excellent, pops! Let’s bring her to tickle jail!”

“Wait, no! No tickle jail!”

“Sorry, milady. If you don’t pay the toll, you go to tickle jail.”

“Wait, you two—AH!” Gosalyn screamed only to start laughing wildly, squirming in her pops’ hands and trying futilely to get her dad’s fingers to stop their attack. She didn’t give up until actual tears threatened to spill thanks to the laughing attack.

“Ok, ok! Stop!” Drake stopped, a triumphant smile on his face. “I will kiss you, affection-hungry monsters.”

Drake and Launchpad giggled at that. Gosalyn groaned as it took her an immeasurable amount of effort to simply cup her dads’ cheeks in her hands, one in each hand. She kissed them, one after the other, even making an exaggerated sound to amuse them and then she hugged them as hard as she could, maybe harder than necessary only to get back at them. They didn’t even seem to notice, hugging her back with just as much love as ever.

She didn’t seem to notice either, how easier it was to just keep hugging them, not even a bit of uncomfortableness as the hug prolonged. It dawned on her suddenly, that it had always been like that.

How, even when she was alone, it was so easy to forget it when love seemed to pour from the walls of the house. It only took a step into the house, even the day when they finally adopted her, to feel good, and happy and comforted. The sofa felt extremely good to sleep on, and the food tasted better than in a restaurant (even if burned).

How there was always a laugh, a hug, a kiss to give under the roof of that house. How every place in the house was a perfect dance floor if Launchpad had anything to say about it. Or to put a love toll on, if Drake had anything to say about it.

It dawned on her that it wasn’t a house, it had never been.

It was _home_. It was _their_ home. It was her home too.

She didn’t notice her silence, worrying them.

“Sweetheart?” Drake asked suddenly, his hand going to caress her hair softly.

Launchpad did the same on her back, just as worried. “Hey, princess, you okay?”

Gosalyn nodded to them, she stopped hugging them but kept her hands on their shoulders. “Do you know you’re really embarrassing?”

Launchpad snorted and nodded. Drake raised a brow, incredulous at that, but nodded nonetheless.

“And do you know—” and her voice came more soft, more shy, she couldn’t even see them in the face— “that I love you a lot? And this home, it's— it’s lovely. Wait, no, that sounded cheesy like dad. Ugh. What I mean is that—” Gosalyn took a sigh, Drake gave her time, Launchpad was already crying. “Thanks. For letting me into your lives, into this home.”

Launchpad sobbed immediately as Drake kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms, then they both got pulled into Launchpad’s arms, the bigger man weeping and crying over them. She couldn’t help but laugh at them, wetly as happy tears streamed down her face. Tears she would deny later, but that she accepted for the moment.

“Gosalyn, look at me,” she did, Drake holding her face between his hands like she was the most precious thing.

“Gosalyn, I— _we_—” he looked at Launchpad for a moment with an enamored smile, the other man nodding, still drying his tears— “are the ones that should be thanking you for letting us into your life, do you know that? You’re wonderful, honey, we love you. This home isn’t complete if you’re not here.”

“Yeah,” Launchpad finally looked in a better state, “it has been like, we have been building this home for you, like only for you, like it is—”

Drake gasped suddenly, “_Destiny_!”

“Yes, exactly!” Launchpad looked at him like he wanted to marry him right then and there. Again. For the fifth time in the day.

Gosalyn almost gagged. Again. For the fifth time in the day. “Ugh, you’re so embarrassing.”

Launchpad laughed and sang, “_embarrassments that you love~_”

“I retract!”

Drake snorted, “you can’t!”

As they pulled her again into a constricting hug, and as much as she complained about it, nothing was further from her mind than the notion of retracting her words.

They, with their sudden slow dances when they cleaned, and their love tolls in the bathroom of all places, they were _her home_. And she would never deny it, not even to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked it!!
> 
> come bother me if u want at my [tumblr](http://toddydoes.tumblr.com/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [3am Kisses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24067219) by [Icka M Chif (mischif)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischif/pseuds/Icka%20M%20Chif)


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